Any danger in storing cardboard gun boxes in the attic

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leadcounsel

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Fellow gun enthusiasts, and home builders/inspectors.

I've decided to store those pesky C&R cardboard gun boxes in the attic to get them out of my way in the garage. I have a lot of them. Decided against breaking them all down flat.

Any risk in storing them in the warm dry attic of my garage? Fire risk, rodent or bug risks to be aware of?

They are not on any wiring or plumbing/piping.
 
I doubt it's any more of a fire hazard than anything else you would put in your attic. Maybe if you wrap them up in trash bags and seal the gaps with duct tape you can keep the bugs out.
 
i am in a split level where i have 'deep storage' for boxes i may some day need in the upper attic. i have the boxes on raised pallets made of 1 x 3's spaced 1".
winters had lows of -14 and summers high in the attic of 120.

boxes have weathered 34 trips around the sun without complaint.
 
This is not a safety issue at all but you might find that they get kind of brittle after being there for awhile. I stored some in my attic and found that, with the huge shifts in humidity and temperature, that they kind of break down a little... They were there a long time though.
 
As we all know. We have this epidemic of extra deadly "ASSAULT WEAPONS!" on the streets. Killing people, under their own power. It's like Maximum Overdrive. Only unlike cars, guns are dangerous.

It seems that these boxes. Which are completely unregulated, I might add. Are inherently evil. Due to there affiliation with their former contents. If even one life can be saved by the regulation of these "Storage Device Slayers of Mass Innocence?"

Turn them in now!
 
The heat will make them crumbly.

They are not designed for long life.

There is a lot of acid left in the paper they are made from.
 
Depends on the quality of the cardboard. Most of the ones in my attic that came with my SKS collection have turned brittle and pretty much break apart when I tried to move them. I didn't save many as they were so crappy to start with and I don't have infinite space. The good quality "acid free" ones are doing fine.

Cardboard + dampness = termite and/or cockroach food. Discard them if you can't be sure they'll stay dry!
 
I'm in the Pacific NW. Boxes were in my garage for two years, and dry but not brittle.

No cockroaches to speak of in this region. Climate in all seasons is quite mild, not too hot or dry, not too wet or damp.
 
Some of my boxes have survived numerous moves (including overseas) and 45+ years in a variety of attics without any more damage than handling. Two years ago I used all of them in my last move from Texas to Pa and what few I don't have boxes for, get transported in gun cases. Last time, we moved well north of 100 firearms.
 
Why go through the hassle to store C&R boxes, there is no value in them like an original factory box when you sell a gun. I tossed them as soon as the gun showed up at my house, usually I use those vinyl sleeves with the lining in them. They take up a lot less space then those boxes, especially if you have more then a few of them.
 
Pitch 'em and buy cheap plastic hard cases if needed; Cosmo, funk and bugs for a cardboard box- not needed for long term in-house storage in my book.

Here's a frugal thought; Fed-Ex gives away long triangular shipping 'tubes' that will accomidate many (though not all) long guns. Stop by a ship center and grap a few.
 
Bugs and mice love cardboard. I live in Alabama where it gets 120 in my attic on a regular basis and of course humidity is very high. I have some boxes that have been there for years(Christmas Trees) with no issues. I guess the heat keeps the varmints out during the summer.

Is there any value to these boxes? New plastic cases can be had for $8-9 from time to time.
 
To answer questions -

I have moved a lot and have found that saving these boxes cuts down moving costs and helps to protect my guns significantly.

As in my original post I said that I have a lot. It would be too expensive to throw them out and replace them with hard cases (I do have hard cases for my more valuable guns).

I've decided to spray for bugs up there, and toss some rodent poison up there to address any possible rodent issues.
 
There can be A LOT of value in correct boxes for certain firearms. Good examples are Colt handguns, some of which are more valuable today than the original gun they came in. I've noticed when I look at Smiths at this one gun shop where they sometimes have consignment or really nice used revolvers and for the most part, the boxes are all gone. I suspect they were sold individually which is a shame splitting up the original box from the gun.

I save all my gun boxes. Lost a few when I moved once when the mover packed my stuff. I assume that they tossed them since it pre-dates ebay. That really bugged me.

I'm seriously thinking about moving my gun boxes to the attic for storage inside sealed garbage bags to keep the dust off them. I used to think there might be a fire hazard, but I don't think card board is highly fameable unless there is a flame to ignite them (vs spontaneous combustion). This would clear out a lot of used up closet space for essentially boxes.

If the boes get wet however, they are an attractant for bugs and sometimes termites. Yes, termites. Don't ask me how I know.
 
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